Method and apparatus for attaching reading glasses to electronic devices

ABSTRACT

A clip is provided for releasably attaching a pair of reading eyeglasses to an electronic device. The clip is attachable to a rear surface of the electronic device. It includes an opening therein configured for receiving the bridge of the eyeglasses to stow the eyeglasses.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/816,381 filed on Apr. 26, 2013 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ATTACHING READING GLASSES TO ELECTRONIC DEVICES, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present application relates generally to smart phones and other portable electronic devices having displays and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for attaching reading glasses to such devices.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

In accordance with one or more embodiments, a kit is provided for use with an electronic device, which has a first side with a display thereon and a second side opposite the first side. The kit includes at least one pair of reading glasses having a pair of lenses, a bridge connecting the lenses, and temples extending from the lenses. The kit further includes at least one clip affixable to the second side of the electronic device. The clip has an opening therein configured for receiving the bridge of the eyeglasses to releasably attach the eyeglasses to the electronic device to stow the eyeglasses when not in use.

In accordance with one or more embodiments, a clip is provided for use with an electronic device to retain a pair of reading glasses. The electronic device has a first side with a display thereon and a second side opposite the first side. The reading glasses have a pair of lenses, a bridge connecting the lenses, and temples extending from the lenses. The clip is affixable to the second side of the electronic device. The clip comprises first and second resilient elements connected together. They have an opening therebetween configured for receiving the bridge of the eyeglasses to releasably attach the eyeglasses to the electronic device to stow the eyeglasses when not in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a rear view of a representative smart phone with a clip for holding reading glasses in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are top, bottom, and side views, respectively, of the clip shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of an exemplary pair of reading glasses in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the smart phone of FIG. 1 with attached reading glasses in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIGS. 5, 6A, 6B, 7, and 8 are perspective views illustrating alternative clips in accordance with one or more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Smart phones, tablets, e-books, and other portable electronic devices having displays are widely used today. These devices present visual content to users that is often difficult to see, particularly for users having presbyopia (the inability to focus on close objects). The present application is directed to a method and apparatus for attaching reading glasses to such portable electronic devices that users can remove and wear while using the devices, enabling the users to more clearly see the content displayed on the electronic devices.

FIG. 1 is a rear view of a smart phone 10 having an exemplary clip 12 or other fastener in accordance with one or more embodiments for conveniently holding reading glasses 14 as shown in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are top, bottom, and side views, respectively, of the clip 12 shown in FIG. 1. The clip 12 includes a slot 16 as shown in FIG. 2C for receiving the bridge portion 18 of the reading glasses 14. The clip 12 has a resilient, spring-like construction so as to securely hold the reading glasses 14 on the case when the glasses 14 are stowed and not in use.

The clip 12 can be constructed from a variety materials including, e.g., plastic, rubber, and metal. In one or more embodiments, the clip 12 is attached to the back of the smart phone 10 using an adhesive.

In other embodiments, the clip 12 is attached to the back of a smart phone case or is integrally constructed with the smart phone case through, e.g., a molding process used to construct the smart phone case.

FIG. 3 illustrates a representative pair of reading glasses 14 in accordance with one or more embodiments. The reading glasses 14 include a pair of lenses 20, which are preferably lightweight and can be made from plastic, polycarbonate, or glass. The lenses are connected by the bridge 18, which may include nose pads (not shown). A pair of temples 22 extend from the lenses for resting on the user's ears. The temples 22 preferably comprise a flexible, resilient material having high bendability that can be easily and compactly folded when the reading glasses 14 are stored in the clip 12 as shown in FIG. 4. The reading glasses 14 preferably have a low profile and may have a reduced length and width so that they will not substantially increase the bulk of the smart phone when stored.

A variety of other fasteners can be used instead of the clip 12 including, e.g., snap fasteners.

FIGS. 5, 6A, 6B, 7, and 8 are perspective views illustrating alternative clips in accordance with one or more embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a clip 50 including an opening 52 for receiving the bridge of a pair of eyeglasses, which can be inserted through slot 58. The opening 52 is formed between first and second resilient elements 54, 56, which securely retain the bridge of the eyeglasses.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate an alternate clip 60, which can be opened to insert the eyeglasses bridge and then closed to securely retain the bridge. The clip 60 comprises a first resilient element 62 and a second resilient element 64, which has a hinged connection to the first resilient element. The bridge of the eyeglasses can be inserted in the opening 66 between the elements 62, 64 when the clip 60 is in the opened position as shown in FIG. 6B. The clip can then be closed as shown in FIG. 6A by locking the first and second elements using a latch mechanism 68.

FIG. 7 illustrate a further alternate clip 70 in accordance with one or more embodiments. The clip 70 includes first and second resilient elements 72, 73 having a plurality of openings 74, 75, 76 therebetween to accommodate different sized bridges 77, 78, 79 (a portion of which are shown in the figure), respectively. In this way, a single clip can be used for different-sized eyeglass bridges.

FIG. 8 discloses a further alternate clip 80 in accordance with one or more embodiments, which also includes a plurality of openings 82, 84, 86 configured to accommodate different-sized eyeglass bridges.

The clip and glasses can be sold as a kit to consumers. For instance, one kit may contain several clips and pairs of glasses. Consumers can attach the clip directly to the back of the smart phone or other device or to a case for such device. The clip can be provided with a peel-off adhesive to allow users to quickly and easily attach the clip to the device.

The reading glasses can be sold in a variety of magnifications.

A significant advantage of having reading glasses clipped to smart phones or other electronic devices is that the glasses would be readily available to users at generally any time since people tend to constantly have their devices with them. The reading glasses could be worn when using the device or used for reading anything else.

In addition, the presence of the clip on back of the electronic device reminds the device user to not forget to take glasses with them as many users often do.

Having thus described several illustrative embodiments, it is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to form a part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. While some examples presented herein involve specific combinations of functions or structural elements, it should be understood that those functions and elements may be combined in other ways according to the present disclosure to accomplish the same or different objectives. In particular, acts, elements, and features discussed in connection with one embodiment are not intended to be excluded from similar or other roles in other embodiments. Additionally, elements and components described herein may be further divided into additional components or joined together to form fewer components for performing the same functions.

Accordingly, the foregoing description and attached drawings are by way of example only, and are not intended to be limiting. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A kit for use with an electronic device, the electronic device having a first side with a display thereon and a second side opposite the first side, the kit comprising: at least one pair of reading glasses having a pair of lenses, a bridge connecting the lenses, and temples extending from the lenses; and at least one clip affixable to the second side of the electronic device, the clip having an opening therein configured for receiving the bridge of the eyeglasses to releasably attach the eyeglasses to the electronic device to stow the eyeglasses when not in use.
 2. The kit of claim 1, wherein the at least one clip is affixable to the second side of the electronic device using an adhesive.
 3. The kit of claim 1, wherein the at least one clip includes a surface having an adhesive thereon covered by a peel-off backing, which can be removed by a user to affix the clip to the second side of the electronic device.
 4. The kit of claim 1, wherein the kit includes a plurality of clips.
 5. The kit of claim 1, wherein the kit includes a plurality of eyeglasses.
 6. The kit of claim 1, wherein the second side of the electronic device is covered by a case, and the at least one clip is affixable to the case.
 7. The kit of claim 1, wherein the at least one clip comprises plastic, rubber, or metal.
 8. The kit of claim 1, wherein the opening in the at least one clip is formed between two resilient elements.
 9. The kit of claim 1, wherein the opening in the at least one clip is formed between a first element and a second element hinged to said first element.
 10. The kit of claim 9, wherein the at least one clip can be moved between opened and closed positions.
 11. The kit of claim 10, wherein the at least one clip further comprises a latch mechanism for releasably locking the clip in the closed position.
 12. The kit of claim 1, wherein the at least one clip includes a plurality of different-sized openings for holding various sized bridges of eyeglasses.
 13. A clip for use with an electronic device to retain a pair of reading glasses, the electronic device having a first side with a display thereon and a second side opposite the first side, the reading glasses having a pair of lenses, a bridge connecting the lenses, and temples extending from the lenses, wherein the clip is affixable to the second side of the electronic device, the clip comprising first and second resilient elements connected together and having an opening therebetween configured for receiving the bridge of the eyeglasses to releasably attach the eyeglasses to the electronic device to stow the eyeglasses when not in use.
 14. The clip of claim 13, wherein the clip is affixable to the second side of the electronic device using an adhesive.
 15. The clip of claim 13, wherein the clip includes a surface having an adhesive thereon covered by a peel-off backing, which can be removed by a user to affix the clip to the second side of the electronic device.
 16. The clip of claim 13, wherein the second side of the electronic device is covered by a case, and the clip is affixable to the case.
 17. The clip of claim 13, wherein the clip comprises plastic, rubber, or metal.
 18. The clip of claim 13, wherein the second element is hinged to the first element such that the clip can be moved between opened and closed positions.
 19. The clip of claim 18, further comprising a latch mechanism for releasably locking the clip in the closed position.
 20. The clip of claim 13, wherein the clip includes a plurality of different-sized openings for holding various sized bridges of eyeglasses. 